Complaints Handling
Statement and Procedure
Complaint Handling Statement and Procedure for Domestic and Small Business customers At Scottish and Southern Energy we are committed to offering the very best in customer service. However, in recognition of the fact that things do sometimes go wrong, we have produced this Complaint Handling Statement to show what will happen if you have cause to complain to us.
How to contact us The easiest and quickest way to resolve your complaint is to telephone us on one of the numbers listed below. Alternatively, if you are unable to phone or would prefer to write, you can contact us by email, via our online contact form or by post using the address listed below. If at any time you would prefer to talk to us face to face about your complaint, you can visit one of our Customer Service Centres. Please contact us for details of your nearest office. Scottish and Southern Energy Post – PO Box 7506, Perth PH1 3QR Southern Electric - 08457 444 555 Scottish Hydro Electric - 0845 300 2141 SWALEC - 0800 052 5252 Atlantic Electric and Gas - 0845 073 3030 You can also contact us through our website at: www.southern-electric.co.uk; www.hydro.co.uk; www.swalec.co.uk; www.atlanticeg.co.uk Our process All our telephone advisers are trained to offer you the best possible customer service and will do their utmost to help you. If they need to involve their Manager, they will do so to ensure the matter is resolved. We aim to reply to written correspondence within 48 hours, however, more complex issues may take longer. We may have to contact other agencies or suppliers to help resolve your complaint. As part of resolving your complaint we will offer you an explanation and an apology. We will also take remedial action and may award compensation in appropriate circumstances. Step 1 – to resolve your complaint at the first point of contact When you telephone us with a problem our adviser will attempt to resolve matters with you while you are on the call. However, if necessary your complaint will be escalated to a Manager or specialist team. We want to agree a solution by 8pm the following working day. If you write to us with a problem, we aim to fully resolve matters by 8pm the following working day after we receive your letter. We may try to contact you by telephone to help with this resolution. If we cannot resolve your complaint fully or have not agreed a form of resolution by 8pm the following working day after your first contact, then you can proceed to the next step. Step 2 – to resolve within 5 working days of escalation from Step 1 Following Step 1, if the complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, then you can raise the matter with our Head of Customer Service, who will undertake an independent internal review and aim to reach a resolution within 5 working days. You can contact the Head of Customer Service as follows: Phone - 0800 975 7772 Email - headofcustomerservice@scottish-southern.co.uk Post – PO Box 7506, Perth PH1 3QR If you would prefer, you can deal with your complaint throughout this process by speaking with us rather than writing.
Step 3 - The Energy Ombudsman If, after contacting the Head of Customer Service you remain unhappy, you can request that the complaint be deadlocked. Once you receive a deadlock letter you can contact the Energy Ombudsman. Alternatively, you can contact the Ombudsman should you fail to have had a satisfactory response from the Head of Customer Service within 5 working days, or if 8 weeks have elapsed since registering your complaint. Please note that you may be referred back to us if you have not escalated your complaint via our formal complaints process outlined above. The Ombudsman will carry out an independent investigation on your behalf. Any decision the Ombudsman makes will be binding on our Company, but not on you, so you can seek further advice if you wish to. As part of resolving your complaint the Ombudsman may ask us to make an apology or give an explanation. They can also ask us to take remedial action and may require us to award compensation in appropriate circumstances. You can contact the Ombudsman as follows: Phone - 0845 055 0760 or 01925 530 263 Textphone - 18001 0845 051 1513 or 18001 01925 430 886 Email - enquiries@energy-ombudsman.org.uk Website - www.energy-ombudsman.org.uk Other Sources of Help Consumer Direct Consumer Direct are part of Trading Standards. They are independent and offer impartial, clear and practical advice. If you are a domestic customer you can contact them at any point of your complaint on: Phone - 08454 04 05 06 Website - www.consumerdirect.gov.uk If you are a business customer and remain unhappy with the way we have tried to resolve your complaint, you can contact the Energy Ombudsman as outlined earlier in Step 3 above. Citizens Advice Bureau The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) also provide free impartial information and advice. For your nearest CAB, please see your local phone book or Yellow Pages. Website - www.citizensadvice.org.uk Sales and Marketing complaints If you are a domestic customer and you have a complaint in relation to our sales or marketing activities you may be entitled to compensation. Any sales representative that visits you at home on our behalf is bound by the EnergySure Code to act appropriately whilst there. We must also contact you by telephone within 24 hours of the sales representative’s visit to confirm that you agree to the terms of the contract and within 14 days to ensure that you were happy with the way in which the sales visit was conducted.
CHS JUN09 v1.3